That was the response from GOP District Attorney Daniel Donovan to a suggestion from two state lawmakers that he and other district attorneys follow the lead of Brooklyn Democratic D.A. Ken Thompson, who has decided not to prosecute those charged with public possession of small amounts of marijuana.

"It is not often that I am contacted by members of the State Legislature and asked not to enforce state law," he wrote to state Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblyman Karim Camara, both Brooklyn Democrats.

The lawmakers had written to the city's four district attorneys, urging them to adopt Thompson's new policy.

Quoting the ACLU, Squadron and Camara wrote that New York has the highest pot arrests of any state, and that 86 percent of those arrested are black and Latino.

They have introduced the Fairness and Equity Act, which would make public possession of less than 25 grams of marijuana a violation, not a crime. The state in 1977 decriminalized private possession of that amount of pot.

Donovan said he understands "both the reasoning and the reasons for adopting this change."

"However," Donovan wrote, "I do not believe it is a best practice when a prosecutor unilaterally decides which laws he or she will act upon and which they will disregard."

He wrote, "That is in fact a subversion of the criminal justice system and a violation of my oath of office as a District Attorney in the state of New York."

Donovan said that if lawmakers are successful in changing the law, "I will continue to abide by the oath of office I took and I will execute the new law as enacted."

The Daily News quoted Queens District Attorney Richard Brown as saying that the vast majority of first-time offenders have their cases dismissed and sealed by his office.

A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. told the paper that his office already goes easy on first-time offenders charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said that while he supports legislation to reduce the penalties for possession of marijuana, he will also continue to enforce the law as written. Most charged with misdemeanor pot possession by his office are given a desk appearance ticket.